Infantry Corps
Background The Infantry Corps is the primary military ground fighting force of the Federal Military; tasked with patrol, peacekeeping, and military operations for the Terran Federation. Almost half of all males (48% to be precise) entering Federal Service and 15% of all females entering Federal Service are selected to join the Infantry Corps. This massive fighting force is responsible for everything from infantry, armored combat (tanks, armored vehicles, etc.), to atmosphere aircraft. Infantry Corps often times refer to themselves as "Mobile Infantry" because of a movie tradition among the troops. Several units fancy themselves with "Mobile Infantry," however the official verbiage is "Infantry Corps". Prior to Sethas-Po'leks Wars of Aggression Pros * Light-weight * Cost-effective * "Fair" body armor protection (except for ADES Round---see below) Cons * Could not stop a ADES Round During 11 Year Sethas-Po'leks Wars of Aggression Next Generation Tactical Body Armor (NG-Tac Armor) Pros * 3 Types of Armor Protection; each increased anti-ADES Round protection. * Increased Blunt Force protection (by 10% Type 1 & 3 / 15% in Type 2) * "Good" body armor protection (Type 1 & 2) * "Very Good" body armor protection (Type 3) Cons * 5% to 10% Heavier then prior armor (Type 2 heaviest) * 15% more expensive then prior war armor (Type 1) * 18% more expensive then prior war armor (Type 2) * 25% more expensive then prior war armor (Type 3) Special Forces Special Forces, including Bravo Team(s), STAT(s), SNTU(s), & SOBs will all use NG-Tac Armor, but will heavily modify the armor to fit their needs for mission profiles. Weaponry Please see Small Arms Weapons. Post Sethas-Po'leks Wars of Aggression All-Environment Combat Armor (ECA) * Please see All-Environment Combat Armor (ECA). Military Police & Special Forces Military Police and Special Forces units still use NG-Tac armor. While a push was made to replace Military Police NG-Tac gear, the increased blunt force protection is useful for MPs and the push ultimately failed. Because of reasons unknown, although various theories are out there, Special Forces units refuse to adopt the All-Environment Combat Armor (ECA) and have been given the authority to choose their own armor based on mission profiles because of their strong opposition to the new armor. Weaponry Please see All-Environment Combat Armor (ECA). Short History "Boots on the ground. You need soldiers to hold land. A starfighter can't hold land. A satellite can't hold land. And political hand-shaking can't hold land. You need soldiers to enforce what you need done. You need soldiers to tell the starfighters where to bomb or fire a missile at. You cannot replace replace the soldier with technology, however much you think a satellite can hold land and influence its inhabitants, it simply can't. Only soldiers can do that." *** A passionate speech from Chief of Staff Army General Donald B. Greenwood before the Federal Senate as they debated cutting troop numbers and enlistment times after the Sethas-Po'leks Wars of Aggression had ended due to the financial strain on the Federal economy.*** The Infantry Corps was the backbone of the Federal Military's war efforts during the Sethas-Po'leks Wars of Aggression that lasted 11 blood-soaked years. While the Federal Navy (Fleet) was able to divide and conquer the Sethas-Po'leks divided War Fleets and more or less engage the enemy on their own terms by year 5 of the conflict and hence reduce resources spent and personnel losses, the Federal Army did not have that luxury. The Infantry Corps had to engage the Sethas-Po'leks Armies in often times pitched month-long planetary sieges and military campaigns that ate up considerable manpower, resources, and time; even with superior fire support from Fleet ships in orbit, the Federal Army was forced to endure long and costly battles as the enemy often times had entrenched themselves too close to civilian centers of populace and planetary bombardment was henceforth not an option with civilians so close to enemy lines. With more technology available to the Fleet to reduce manpower concerns on newer ships of war, a number of recruits are either forced into the Marines if they join the Fleet to provide more boots for say or transferred to the Infantry Corps to help ease the strain on already-veteran soldiers looking for some R&R. It is considered a badge of honor to had served in the Infantry Corps during the Sethas-Po'leks Wars of Aggression considering the bloody nature of the conflict and the high causality rate among soldiers during the later years of the conflict, where planetary siege warfare all but become a way of life as the Federal Military had to start routing Sethas-Po'leks pockets of resistance out planet-to-planet. The bloody street to street fighting, underground tunnel fighting, & often times melee combat is often times the stuff of Hollywood, but here, it was the reality of nightmarish combat where hundreds to thousands of infantrymen would give their lives on any given day and on any given battlefield across the conflict. Today, the Infantry Corps serves a vital function in maintaining key military posts on once Sethas-Po'leks loyal worlds and across various other hot spots around Federal Space. Despite a number of smaller conflicts across Federal Space in the months and years following the Sethas-Po'leks Wars of Aggression, the Federal Military is finally slowing recruitment efforts across the board from Army to Fleet and starting to use technology and Special Forces to be the forefront combat forces in a relatively peaceful time for the Terran Federation. Even with that said, the Federal Military still provides troop levels for a peaceful Terran Federation above past peace-time transition periods, ensuring that the Infantry Corps has the manpower to accomplish it's mission, wherever that mission may be.Category:Federal Army